High paying production jobs in South Dakota with no degree

The best paid production occupations in South Dakota that require no bachelor's degree — a high school diploma, a certificate, or an associate's degree is the typical entry. This is the narrowest cut on the site, so it is also the shortest list: where a field has only two or three such occupations, there is no page at all rather than a page pretending otherwise.

Cost of living: prices in South Dakota run 11.4% below the national average (2024), so a South Dakota salary is worth about 1.13× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in South Dakota.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find production jobs in South Dakota

OccupationMedian, South Dakota · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$73,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$55,120 – $94,7601,930
2Chemical Plant and System Operators$59,970
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,790 – $65,640180
3Plant and System Operators, All Other$57,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,700 – $73,720190
4Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$53,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,890 – $73,1701,060
5Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$52,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,620 – $61,370150
6Machinists$50,890
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,280 – $60,840830
7Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$50,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,280 – $61,530180
8Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,780
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,390 – $60,980270
9Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$50,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,910 – $64,7201,420
10Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$49,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,100 – $63,3803,250
11Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,070 – $58,250510
12Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$48,830
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,400 – $58,320230
13Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,750 – $68,2901,150
14Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$47,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,930 – $64,0701,090
15Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,840 – $59,950490
16Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$45,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,670 – $57,640440
17Engine and Other Machine Assemblers$45,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,530 – $50,680550
18Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$44,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,720 – $53,800460
19Printing Press Operators$44,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,980 – $63,800460
20Slaughterers and Meat Packers$44,410
No formal educational credential
$34,950 – $48,080740
21Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$44,290
No formal educational credential
$35,730 – $48,1502,080
22Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$43,860
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,440 – $47,8501,000
23Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$43,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,920 – $61,6503,960
24Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$43,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,090 – $61,460610
25Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$43,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,220 – $51,870980
26Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$41,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,070 – $51,870490
27Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$40,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,420 – $54,850840
28Food Batchmakers$39,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,180 – $56,640660
29Sewing Machine Operators$39,000
No formal educational credential
$28,350 – $47,030300
30Bakers$38,340
No formal educational credential
$28,880 – $50,360330
31Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$37,480
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,460 – $58,450260
32Butchers and Meat Cutters$37,310
No formal educational credential
$33,830 – $56,060520
33Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$32,780
No formal educational credential
$28,100 – $43,330750

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianSouth Dakota	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$73,040	$55,120 – $94,760	1,930
2	Chemical Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,970	$49,790 – $65,640	180
3	Plant and System Operators, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,430	$43,700 – $73,720	190
4	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,370	$43,890 – $73,170	1,060
5	Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,520	$43,620 – $61,370	150
6	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,890	$39,280 – $60,840	830
7	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,800	$33,280 – $61,530	180
8	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,780	$38,390 – $60,980	270
9	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,750	$39,910 – $64,720	1,420
10	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,440	$38,100 – $63,380	3,250
11	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,000	$30,070 – $58,250	510
12	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,830	$46,400 – $58,320	230
13	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,980	$37,750 – $68,290	1,150
14	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,240	$37,930 – $64,070	1,090
15	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,060	$36,840 – $59,950	490
16	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,950	$36,670 – $57,640	440
17	Engine and Other Machine AssemblersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,930	$38,530 – $50,680	550
18	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,980	$39,720 – $53,800	460
19	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,930	$33,980 – $63,800	460
20	Slaughterers and Meat PackersNo formal educational credential	$44,410	$34,950 – $48,080	740
21	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$44,290	$35,730 – $48,150	2,080
22	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,860	$33,440 – $47,850	1,000
23	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,240	$32,920 – $61,650	3,960
24	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,240	$36,090 – $61,460	610
25	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,180	$37,220 – $51,870	980
26	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,740	$31,070 – $51,870	490
27	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,750	$34,420 – $54,850	840
28	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,200	$32,180 – $56,640	660
29	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$39,000	$28,350 – $47,030	300
30	BakersNo formal educational credential	$38,340	$28,880 – $50,360	330
31	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,480	$30,460 – $58,450	260
32	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$37,310	$33,830 – $56,060	520
33	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$32,780	$28,100 – $43,330	750

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in South Dakota. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

More for South Dakota

Metro areas in South Dakota

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in South Dakota

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in South Dakota to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in South Dakota with no degree

More for South Dakota

Metro areas in South Dakota

By field in South Dakota

Without a degree

High paying production jobs in each state with no degree